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THE 



ENTRANCED FEMALE; 

OR, THE 
OF 

A LADY, 

CONCERNING ANOTHER WORLD. 



BY ROBERT YOUNG. 



ALSO, AN ACCOUNT OF ANN ATHERTON, WHO, ON RE- 
COVERING FROM A TRANCE IN 1669, MADE 
SIMILAR DISCLOSURES. 



" Whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell : 
God knoweth." — 2 Cor. xii. 1, 2. 



SEVENTEENTH EDIT: 




LONDON : 

PUBLISHED BY T. M. INCHBOLD, 

161, FLEET-STREET; 

AND SOLD BY J. MASON, 66, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 

1842. 






[entered at stationers'-hall. j 



RECOMMENDATORY NOTICES. 



Extract of a Letter to the Author from the Rev. 
Richard Treffnj, dated " Institution-House, 
Hoxton, June 19th, 1841." 

" I think you do well in publishing the Nar- 
rative which you kindly submitted to my perusal. 
It is altogether of an extraordinary character; 
and while it makes a large demand on our cre- 
dulity, it can scarcely fail to awaken serious 
thoughts and devout desires in the minds of all 
who read it with attention. Infidelity is fear- 
fully prevalent ; and the opinion that the whole 
of a man dies with his body is so widely dis- 
seminated, that every means to check its pro- 
gress, and to convince men of the existence of 
another world, should be called into requisi- 
tion." 



Extract of a Letter from the Rev. John Crofts, 
dated Manchester, August 3d, 1841. 

" Being a few days since in a company 
where your interesting little book, f The En- 
tranced Female,' was the subject of conversa- 
tion, a remark was made which led me to 
mention that I was in the place where the 
young person resided, about the time when the 
extraordinary occurrence took place ; and not 
only recollected the excitement it produced, but 
some additional circumstances not stated by 
you.'' 

a2 



ADVERTISEMENT. 

The disclosures of Miss D , contained in 

the following pages, are thus made public by 
the repeated and urgent request of several 
valued friends. If they should excite a more 
diligent attention to eternal things, the writer 
will greatly rejoice, and the design of their 
publication will be fully accomplished. 

R. Y. 

London, July, 1841. 



PREFACE TO THE TWELFTH EDITION. 

Miss D -, whose disclosures have excited 

considerable interest and inquiry, was not at all 
imaginative ; but possessed much sobriety of 
mind, and had, for some time previous to the 
period of being entranced, lived according to 
the Gospel of Christ. Nor did she ever vary 
her statements of what she had heard and seen 
in the spiritual world; for, although closely 
catechized by different persons on the subject, 
she invariably gave the same testimony, and a 
short time before her death solemnly attested 
its truth to the author, in the presence of 
several witnesses. 

Her attendants, to whom she first made the 
disclosure, were also persons of established re- 
ligious character, well known to the writer; and 
so far from being a party to an imposture, they 
evinced very great reluctance to have Miss 

D 's communications made public, knowing, 

as they did, that such communications could 



not but deeply affect some parties with whom 
they were on terms of friendship, and whose 
feelings they manifestly wished to spare. For 
the same reason this small work has not ap- 
peared sooner. 

It is possible that some persons may feel an 
educational prejudice against the disclosures of 

Miss D , they having, from their infancy, 

been taught to regard as superstitious all belief 
in supernatural manifestations : but the preju- 
dice of education, however popular and influen- 
tial, is not always on the side of truth ; for it 
led the Jews, in opposition to the clearest 
evidence of the Messiahship of Jesus, to reject 
and crucify their lowly King. Incredulity in 
other persons may, probably, arise from the 
influence of a philosophy which dogmatically 
says, that such an event, as the following nar- 
rative details, could not have taken place : but 
human philosophy is not a sure guide; for it led 
the Greeks to despise the preaching of the 
cross, and to regard as foolishness what was 
the wisdom of God. It is readily admitted 
that the event involves mysteries not to be 
explained by man, whatever be the culture of 
his mind, or the grasp of his intellectual facul- 
ties ; but if we are not to believe any thing 
which we cannot comprehend, we must sink 
into atheism and universal unbelief. Nor is it 
improbable that other individuals may scepti- 
cally inquire, " What object is to be accom- 
plished by such an event?" But this inquiry, 
very improperly, assumes that short sighted 
man is capable of seeing the end from the 
A 3 



6 

beginning, and of fully understanding all the 
mind of God. Objects of the greatest moment 
may be accomplished by it, although, from our 
limited powers of comprehension, we may per- 
ceive them not. The present is a day of 
popular scepticism, on the subject of super- 
natural manifestations, both in the world and 
in the church. It is now considered weak and 
superstitious to give credence to such things; 
and some of the followers of Wesley do not 
hesitate to laugh at, what they are pleased to 
call, his "proneness to superstition," because 
he believed in them. I think, therefore, that 
I can perceive an important end to be pro- 
moted by the disclosures of Miss D , and 

I shall not be astonished if similar occurrences 
be permitted to rebuke the infidelity of the 
present age. 

The Author is happy to state that, although, 
some have perused his pamphlet with sceptical 
minds, and laid it down with a sneer, others, by 
the blessing of God, have derived from it much 
spiritual good ; for he has heard of many per- 
sons in different parts of the country who have, 
on reading it, been awakened, and ultimately 
led to the Saviour : so far, therefore, has the 
design of the publication been happily accom- 
plished. 

In the present Edition the Author has added 
the case of Ann Atherton, who was entranced 
in 1669, and made disclosures very similar to 

those of Miss D . 

London, 

Dec. 184L 



THE ENTRANCED FEMALE. 



The word trance, as explained in 
the London EncyclopaDdia, signifies "a 
temporary absence of the soul ; a rap- 
ture ; a state in which the soul is rapt 
into visions of future or distant things." 
And according to the learned Parkhurst, 
the word means a " sacred ecstasy, 
when, the use of the external senses 
being suspended, God reveals some- 
thing in a peculiar manner to his 
servants, who are then taken, or 
transported, out of themselves." This 
is a phenomenon full of mystery, 
and the reality of which some persons 
have doubted ; but, I think, without 
due consideration. Balaam is said to 
have been in a trance ; and having 
had " his eyes opened" therein, we are 
told that he " saw the visions of the 



8 



Almighty, and knew the knowledge of 
the Most High*" Peter was also in a 
trance, upon the house-top, to which 
place he had retired for prayer, and 
received symbolical instructions relative 
to his future proceedings with the 
Gentiles. And Paul is supposed to 
have been in a trance, "but whether in 
the body or out of the body he could 
not tell ; God only knew : " but he " was 
caught up into paradise, and heard 
unspeakable words, which it was not 
lawful for a man to utter." Since that 
period, there have been well-attested 
instances of individuals who have been 
in a similar state ; some of which are 
on record in several highly respect- 
able publications:* and the following 

* See the Wesleyan Methodist Magazine for 
1833, in which there is an interesting account 
of the trance of the Rev. William Tennent, a 
learned and eminently pious Minister of the 
Presbyterian Church. 



singular relation is intended to add to 
their number. 

Whilst residing in a British colony, 
as a Christian Missionary, I was called 

one evening to visit Miss D , 

who was said to be dying. Mrs. 
Young, b)' whom she was met weekly 
for religious instruction, feeling a deep 
interest in her spiritual welfare, ac- 
companied me to her residence. We 
found her in the chamber of a neat little 
cottage, exceedingly ill, but confiding in 
the merits of Jesus ; and after spending 
some time with her in conversation and 
prayer, we commended her to God, and 
took our departure without the least 
hope of seeing her again in this life. 
Soon after we left she seemed to die ; 
but as the usual signs of death, which 
so rapidly develope themselves in that 
country, did not appear, her friends 
concluded that she was in a trance, and 
anxiously waited to see the end. She 



10 



remained in this state for several days, 
during which period we repeatedly 
visited her; and the only indications we 
could perceive that life was not extinct, 
were a slight foaming at the mouth, 
and a little warmth about the region 
of the heart. She was watched with 
great interest both night and day ; and 
after having been in this state for 
nearly a week, she opened her eyes, 

and said, " Mr. C is dead." Her 

attendants, thinking that she was 
under the influence of delirium, replied 
that she was mistaken, as he was not 
only alive, but well. " O no ! " said 
she: " he is dead ; for a short time ago, 
as I passed the gates of hell, I saw him 
descend into the pit, and the blue 

flame cover him. Mr. B is also 

dead ; for he arrived at heaven just as 
I was leaving that happy place, and I 
saw its beautiful gates thrown wide 
open to receive him ; and heard the 



11 



host of heaven shout, ' Welcome, weary 
pilgrim ! ' " Mr. C was a neigh- 
bour, but a very wicked person ; and 

Mr. B , who lived at no great 

distance, was a good old man, and for 
many years had been a consistent and 
useful member of the church of God. 

The parties who heard Miss D 's 

startling and confident statements, im- 
mediately sent to make inquiries about 
the two individuals alluded to, and 
found, to their utter astonishment, that 
the former had dropped clown dead 
about half an hour before, whilst in 
the act of tying his shoe ; and that 
about the same time the latter had 
suddenly passed into the eternal world. 
For the truth of these facts I do 
solemnly vouch. She then went on 
to tell them where she had been, and 
what she had seen and heard. 

After being sufficiently recovered to 
leave the house, she paid us a visit ; 



12 



and Mrs. Young, as well as myself, 
heard from her own lips the follow- 
ing account of what she had passed 
through. She informed us that at 
the time she was supposed to die, a 
celestial being conducted her into the 
invisible world, and mysteriously un- 
veiled to her the realities of eternity. 
He took her first to heaven : but she 
was told that as she yet belonged to 
time, she could not be permitted to 
enter into that glorious place, but only 
to behold it ; which she represented as 
infinitely exceeding in beauty and 
splendour the most elevated concep- 
tions of mortals, and whose glories no 
language could describe. She told us 
that she beheld the Saviour upon a 
throne of light and glory, surrounded 
by the four-and-twenty Elders, and a 
great multitude which no man could 
number; amongst whom she recognised 
Patriarchs, and Prophets, and Apostles, 



13 

and Martyrs, and all the Missionaries 
who had died in that colony, besides 
many others whom she mentioned : 
and although those parties were not 
named by the angel that attended her, 
yet she said, that seeing them was to 
know them. She described those ce- 
lestial spirits as being variously em- 
ployed; and although she felt herself 
inadequate to convey any definite idea 
of the nature of that employment, yet 
it appeared to be adapted to their 
respective mental tastes and spiritual 
attainments. She also informed us 
that she heard sweet and most enrap- 
turing music, such as she had never 
heard before ; and made several at- 
tempts to give us some idea of its 
melodious character, but found her 
notes too earthly for that purpose. 
Whilst thus favoured, the Missionaries 
already referred to, and other happy 
spirits, as they glided past her, sweetly 
b 



14 

smiled, and said they knew whence she 
came, and, if faithful to the grace of 
God, she would in a short time be 
admitted into their delightful society. 
All the orders of heaven were in per- 
fect and blessed harmony, and appear- 
ed to be directed in all their move- 
ments by a mysterious influence, pro- 
ceeding from the throne of God. 

She was next conducted to a place 
whence she had a view of hell, which 
she described in the most terrific lan- 
guage ; and declared that the horrid 
shrieks of lost spirits still seemed 
to sound in her ears. As she ap- 
proached the burning pit, a tre- 
mendous effort was made to draw 
her into it; but she felt herself safe 
under the protection of her guardian 
angel. She recognised many in the 
place of torment whom she had known 
on earth, and even some who had been 
thought good Christians. There were 



15 



princes and peasants, rich and poor, 
learned and unlearned, writhing toge- 
ther in one dreadful and unquenchable 
fire, where all earthly distinctions and 
titles were for ever at an end. Amongst 

them she beheld a Miss W , who 

had occupied a prominent station in 
society, but had died during the trance 
of this young woman. She said that 

when Miss W saw her approach, 

her shrieks were appalling beyond the 
power of language to describe, and that 
she made a desperate, but unsuccess- 
ful, effort to escape. The punishment 
of lost souls, she represented as 
symbolizing the respective sins which 
had occasioned their condemnation. 
Miss W , for instance, was con- 
demned for her love of money, which 
I had every reason to believe was her 
besetting sin ; and she seemed robed in 
a garment of gold, all on fire. Mr. 

O , whom she saw, was lost through 

b2 



16 



intemperance; and he appeared to be 
punished by devils administering to 
him some boiling liquid. She said 
there was no sympathy amongst these 
unhappy spirits, but that unmixed 
hatred, in all its frightful forms, pre- 
vailed in every part of the fiery re- 
gions. She beheld parents and child- 
ren, husbands and wives, and those 
who had been companions in sin, 
exhibiting every mark of deep hatred 
to each other's society, and heard them 
in fiendish accents upbraiding and bit- 
terly cursing one another. She saw 
nothing in hell but misery and despair ; 
and heard nothing there but the most 
discordant sounds, accompanied with 
weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of 
teeth. Whilst she gazed upon this 
revolting scene, many souls arrived 
from earth, and were greedily seized 
by innumerable devils of monstrous 
shape, amidst horrid shouts of hellish 



17 

triumph, and tortured according to 
their crimes. 

This fearful view of the state of the 
lost, agrees with the testimony of 
S. T., whose case is on record in Mr. 
"Wesley's Journal.* She tells us that 
whilst in her trance, the place of the 
condemned was unveiled, and she "saw 
a vast number who stood up cursing 
and blaspheming God, and spitting at 
each other. And many were making 
balls of fire, and throwing them at 
one another." She also " saw many 
others who had cups of fire, out of 
which they were drinking down flames ; 
and others who held cards of fire in 
their hands, and seemed to be playing 
with them." 

From the gates of hell Miss D — was 
conducted to another position, whence 
she had a view of heaven, and hell, and 

* Vol. ii., pp. 22— 26, Edit. 1829. 
B3 



18 



earth; and she described earth as ap- 
pearing like a vast stage crowded with 
human beings, and full of confusion 
and blood. From this stage persons 
were continually stepping off: and 
others were rapidly approaching its 
edge, and would very soon disappear ; 
amongst whom was Mrs. L — : — , an 
intimate friend of ours, who died a 
fortnight afterwards. Other persons, 
whom she named, were represented 
as near the edge of the stage ; and 
although quite well when she made 
this communication, did in every case 
shortly afterwards leave this proba- 
tionary state. One of the days in 

which Miss D lay entranced, was 

the holy Sabbath ; and she told us 
that she knew where I and my 
colleague preached on that day; and 
from each chapel she perceived holy 
incense rise, which she described as 
mingling together and coming up be- 



19 



fore the throne ; then taken by the 
Saviour and presented to the Father, 
whilst angels and all the company of 
heaven rejoiced together. She also 
stated, that during one of Mrs. Young's 
visits to the house where she lay en- 
tranced, she saw her sitting by her 
bedside, reading to the family a chapter 
out of St. John's Gospel, and then saw 
her kneel down and pray with them'. 
She likewise gave us to understand, 
that matter, under none of its forms or 
modifications, is any interruption to the 
vision or movements of spiritual beings. 
She was next taken to a place 
where she saw the moral state of 
the world symbolized. A female, 
holding a prominent situation in the 
church, was represented as sitting 
under a tree of most luxuriant and 
beautiful foliage, with a long tube in 
her mouth, by which she was drawing 
people to her ; and the conducting 



20 



angel informed Miss D that the 

tube indicated the power of this 
female's persuasive language, the foli- 
age of the tree her religious profession, 
and its trunk the state of her heart. 
On looking at the trunk, she beheld 
that its core was rotten, and full of 

venomous reptiles. Miss D told 

this to the female in question; and 
from the unchristian temper she mani- 
fested on the occasion, and her subse- 
quent conduct, she fully proved the 
correctness of the representation. 
Another female, a professor of reli- 
gion, highly respected for her apparent 
piety, was represented to her as having 
yielded to temptation, and withdrawn 
her heart from God; and when her 
backsliding was announced in the world 

of spirits, Miss D looked toward 

the Saviour, and thought she perceived 
the appearance of blood trickling from 
his wounds, as if " crucified afresh." 



21 

(Heb. vi. 6.)* When Miss D was 

at our house, she sent for this female, 
and, in the presence of Mrs. Young 
and myself, told her the above ; and, 
according to her penitential acknow- 
ledgment, but to our utter astonish- 
ment, it was a correct view of her spi- 
ritual state. Miss D had likewise 

the moral condition and perilous cir- 
cumstances of a young man brought 
before her. He was in possession of 
religion, was represented as assailed by 
a very plausible temptation, and would 
make shipwreck of faith if he did not 
resist it. She made this disclosure to 
him also in our presence; and after 
some evasion on the subject, he ap- 
peared greatly agitated, and declared 
that such was his temptation, although 
lie had not mentioned it to any one. 
For some time he resisted, but finally 
fell into the snare ; and his sad experi- 

* She was now in the place of symbols. 



22 



ence proved the correctness of Miss 

D 's communication. A lady whom 

she named was represented to her as 
attired in the purest white, and sur- 
rounded by a number of little children, 
whom she was striving to wash in pure 
water, that they too might be white 
and clean ; and the angel told her that 
the lady's robe was indicative of her 
purity of heart, and her holiness of life, 
and that her employment symbolized 
the nature and effects of her exertions 
in the church of God. I was well 
acquainted with this lady, and could 
bear witness to the correctness of this 
picture ; for she was in my opinion 
one of the holiest of women, and was 
exceedingly useful to children and 
young people ; indeed the honoured in- 
strument of bringing many of them to 
God. Another lady she described as 
standing at the entrance of the path 
leading to eternal life, with a book in 



23 

her hand, and crying to the giddy 
multitude, 

" Come back, this is the way ; 
Come back, and walk therein." 

This lady, who was well known to the 
writer, had made many sacrifices for 
the cause of Christ, and was, I believe, 
doing what she could to bring poor 
wanderers back to God. 

Many other things were mentioned 
by her, but which I cannot now so 
distinctly remember as to warrant my 
making any record of them here. There 
was a strange unearthliness about this 
young woman after this remarkable 
event. Previously her disposition was 
rather sullen, and there was an impres- 
sion of sourness on her countenance ; 
but the change produced by this occur- 
rence was manifest to all that knew 
her. Her temper became the most 
amiable, and her countenance was 
lighted up with more than ordinary 



24 



joy. But, strange to say, in a few 
months she allowed herself to be 
exalted above measure through the 
abundance of the revelation, and con- 
sequently lost much of her glory ; but 
the rod of affliction led her to recover 
her forfeited enjoyment, and in about 
three years after this trance she died 
happy in the Lord. 

No person is perhaps more disposed 
to scrutinize and to reject the disclo- 
sures of what are called trances and 
visions, than myself; and yet when they 
furnish so many marks of genuineness 

as those of Miss D , I think they 

should be allowed their proper w T eight 
and influence in confirming and illus- 
trating the doctrines of revelation. 
There is nothing in Miss D 's dis- 
closures inconsistent with that Book 
which is to be a light unto our feet, and 
a lamp unto our paths, and by which 
we are to regulate our faith and prac- 



25 

lice ; but, on the contrary, there is the 
most perfect accordance. The word of 
God informs us that there is a world 
of spirits, into which men enter on 
quitting this life, and are happy or 
otherwise according to their moral 
character; and if the Lord should in 
some cases, for reasons best known to 
himself, lift the veil which conceals 
from our view that spiritual region, we 
ought not to reject the light thus let in 
upon us, but rather avail ourselves of 
its assistance for the better under- 
standing of the word of God, and the 
realities of another state of existence. 

With respect to the locality of the 
world of spirits, conjecture has been 
busily and fruitfully employed. Some 
suppose that it is in the sun; others 
that it is in the centre of the vast 
universe, attracting and governing all 
the celestial bodies in their revolu- 
tions : but the opinion which to me 
c 



26 



appears most plausible, is that of its 
being in the atmospheric region, and 
consequently all around us. It is 
true we perceive it not, because our 
" senses are holden." Our physical 
nature is supposed to be the veil, 
separating between us and the invisible 
world; but when this veil is removed 
by the hand of death, our souls will at 
once find themselves in that world, and 
discern things which, though now pre- 
sent, are not seen, because spiritually 
discerned. This view of the subject 
seems to be countenanced by the sacred 
Scriptures. The mountain appeared 
covered with spiritual beings when the 
Lord, in answer to the prayer of the 
Prophet, opened the eyes of his servant, 
or drew aside the veil. (2 Kings vi. 17.) 
Stephen, at the time he was about to 
suffer martyrdom, " saw the heavens 
open, and Jesus standing at the right 
hand of God." Believers are to be 



27 

" caught up to meet the Lord in the 
air ;" and the ministering spirits which 
" minister for them who shall be heirs 
of salvation/' " do always behold the 
face of our Father which is in heaven." 
They do not leave the spiritual world 
to perform their ministrations, but are 
in heaven, it would seem, at the very 
time they are " encamping round about 
them that fear the Lord." It is true 
that this view, as well as others, rela- 
tive to the abode of separate spirits, 
involves difficulties not to be solved in 
this imperfect state ; but it neverthe- 
less appears to receive some sanction 
from the word of God, and is, in my 
estimation, more consistent with the 
condition of being entranced than any 
other opinion held on the subject. 

It is also a very generally received 
opinion that spirits know each other in 
the invisible w r orld. The rich man 

knew r Abraham and Lazarus ; and the 
c2 



28 



Apostle, referring to a future state, tells 
us that " then shall we know, as also 
we are known." According to the tes- 
timony of Miss D , she knew, with- 
out being informed, the various beings 
she met with in the world of spirits. 
It appears to be a region of knowledge 
intuitively obtained, without any la- 
borious effort or inquiry. This view 
of the subject is calculated .to strike 
terror into the hearts of those who, 
by their neglect or influence, destroy 
souls, as it supposes they will know 
their victims when they shall meet 
them in the world lying beyond the 
tomb ; but it is a view well adapted 
to excite pleasurable emotions in the 
breast of those who " turn many to 
righteousness," as it encourages the 
hope of their recognising their " spiri- 
tual children" as their " crown of re- 
joicing in the presence of our Lord 
Jesus Christ at his coming." 



29 

There is another opinion, entertain- 
ed by some persons, which does not 
appear to be without foundation in the 
word of God, — that the inhabitants 
of eternity know what is taking place 
in this world. The temptations pre- 
sented to the mind by wicked spirits, 
the guardianship of angelic beings, the 
cloud of witnesses represented by the 
Apostle as looking from their place of 
rest upon Christians running the race 
set before them, and the joy felt in 
the presence of the angels of God over 
one sinner that repenteth, certainly 
very strongly countenance the opinion. 

This also agrees with Miss D 's 

statement; for she told us most dis- 
tinctly that the state and circumstances 
of the population of our globe were 
fully known to the inhabitants of 
the other world. How startling is the 
thought ! What manner of persons 
ought we to be, in all holy conver- 
c3 



30 



sation and godliness ? If earth is with- 
out a covering to eternity, with what 
circumspection ought we to walk ! 

Now, if these things be so ; if there 
be a state of future rewards and penal- 
ties, on which we must enter on leaving 
this state of trial ; how important it 
must be, for eternal things to exert 
their due weight and influence upon 
us, that when we fail on earth, w r e may 
be received into everlasting habitations ! 
Were we to judge of the relative 
claims of time and eternity, by the 
general deportment of men, we should 
conclude that the former were far more 
imperative than the latter ; the per- 
ishing body more valuable than the 
immortal soul ; and the pleasures of 
sin, which are but for a season, more 
to be desired than those unfading joys 
which are at God's right hand. 

One of the persons that Miss D 

saw in torment, had been in the habit 



31 

of violating the Christian Sabbath, by 
matters of worldly business. I more 
than once reproved her for it, warned 
her of her danger, and exhorted her to 
flee from the wrath to come. She 
acknowledged the propriety of my re- 
marks, but, like many, pleaded her 
secular engagements, and expressed 
a hope that at no very distant period 
she would be able to retire from busi- 
ness and attend to her soul. Unhappy 
woman ! Procrastination has ruined 
many a soul, and it ruined hers ; for 
whilst she was about to realize all that 
her earthly mind had long and ardently 
desired, the messenger of death sud- 
denly and unexpectedly blighted all 
her hopes, abruptly put an end to her 

mortal life, and Miss D saw her 

in hell lift up her eyes, being in tor- 
ment. " O that mortals were wise, 
that they understood this ; that they 
would consider their latter end !" 



32 



Reader ! are you prepared for an- 
other world ? If impenitent you are 
not ; for u except ye repent ye shall 
all likewise perish." If unbelieving 
you are not ; for " without faith it is 
impossible to please God/' and " he 
that believeth not shall be damned." 
If unregenerate you are not ; for " ex- 
cept a man be born again, he cannot 
see the kingdom of God." If unholy 
you are not ; for " without holiness no 
man shall see the Lord." Such is the 
testimony of God. " He that hath 
ears to hear let him hear ! " 



CASE OF ANN ATHERTON. 



Extracted from Turner's " Remarkable Providences" 
Part II, page 34, Chapter xxxiv. 

As the narrative is given verbatim, the quaintness 
of its style is retained, with all its grammatical 
inaccuracies. 

"Ann Atherton, "being ahout fourteen years of 
age, fell sick in November, 1669, whereupon several 
physicians were called to her assistance, who con- 
sulted about her distemper, and judged it to be 
something of ague; though the symptoms thereof 
were somewhat different from those that were usual 
in that distemper. The disease proved too hard for 
their skill and medicine, and brought the patient to 
a thinness of body, paleness of countenance, and 
stupidness to any thing but her devotions. She was 
before of a full habit of body, of a brisk and lively 
temper, and prone to all kinds of exercise befitting 
her age. Under this strange alteration she con- 
tinued till the beginning of February ensuing, when, 
by little and little, she felt a sensible decay of her 
whole body, which, daily increasing, prevailed at 



34 



length upon all the organs of life and motion, so 
that, in appearance, she lay void of either, where- 
upon she was concluded to be dead. 

" The women who came to do their last office to 
her body perceived more heat and warmth in her 
than they thought to be usual in dead bodies ; upon 
which they desisted awhile ; and because the room 
was close, and a fire had been always in it, thinking 
the usual warmth might proceed from thence, they 
opened the casements to let in what air they could, 
and put out the fire, and then left her sometime to 
herself. But returning, they found the same warmth 
to continue : then they left her in this manner one 
whole day, yet could find no alteration ; whereupon 
they applied a looking-glass to her mouth, but not 
the least cloud appeared. They put live coals to 
her feet, which discovered not the least sign of life 
or sense. 

" Notwithstanding, her mother was very timorous, 
which made her delay her burial ; and she kept her 
uncoffined till seven days were expired ; at the end 
of which time her heat, which was before so languid 
and obscure that it could scarcely be observed, 
began more manifestly to discover itself. Upon 
which rubbings and other artificial helps were used, 
which proved effectual, that in a short time they 
found a trembling vibration of the pulse : afterwards 
she began to breathe, and so at last gradually re- 
covered all her senses. The first thing she spoke of 



35 



was, that she desired to see her mother, who coming 
to her, she thus uttered her mind. 

" * O, Mother ! since I was absent from you, I 
have been in heaven : an angel went before me to 
conduct me thither. I passed through three several 
gates, and at length I came to heaven's gate, where 
I saw things very glorious and unutterable, — as 
saints, angels, and the like, in glorious apparel, and 
heard unparalleled music, divine anthems, and 
hallelujahs. I would fain have entered that glorious 
place ; but the angel that went before me withstood 
me; yet I thought myself half in, but he told me 
I could not be admitted now, but must go back and 
take leave of my friends, and after some short time 
I should be admitted. So he brought me hither 
again, and is now standing at the bed's feet. 
Mother, you must needs see him ; he is all in 
white.' 

" Her mother told her it was but a dream or 
fancy, and that she knew not what she said. Where- 
upon she avowed, with a great deal of vehemency, 
that it was as true as that she was there at present. 
She took notice also of several persons in the room 
by their names, to show that she did not deceive, 
but spake with understanding. But for the greater 
confirmation, she told them of three or four persons 
that had died since she was deprived of her senses, 
and named each person ; one of them had died and 
they knew not of it until they sent to inquire. She 



36 



said she saw them passing by her whilst she stood 
at the gate. One whom she named was considered 
a vicious person, came as far as the gate, hut was 
sent back again another way. All the persons she 
named died in the time she lay in the trance. 

"She lived two years after this, enjoying a perfect 
health, and then died in great assurance of her 
salvation, speaking comfortable words and giving 
wholesome instruction to all who came to visit her. 

" It is worthy of observation, that during the 
whole time of her sickness, which was above a 
quarter of a year, she neither eat nor drank any 
thing besides the juice of an orange and the yolk of 
an egg. 

" Attested by her brother, Dr. Atherton, phy- 
sician, of Caermarthen." 



London : K. Needham, Printer, Paternoster-Row. 



SEVENTEENTH EDITION: 



NTRANCED- 



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LADY, 



PRICE SIXPENCE. 



31 



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